Shiva and memorial catering
Shiva and memorial catering from our kitchen at 99 Ibn Gabirol, Tel Aviv: a hot meal for the family, trays for the visitors who come through the day, and the memorial meal at the end. The quantities are worked out in grams, so the family does not have to cook or count.
IllustrationHow much food? The planner
Pick the number of guests and see how many trays and pots, how many kilos, the grams per guest and an estimated price.
| Tray | Per guest | In total | Trays | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini pita tray: sabich and aja | 1 pcs | 20 pcs | 1 | ₪179 |
| Home-style meatballs in sauce | 2 pcs | 40 pcs | 1 | ₪229 |
| Salad tray | 40 g | 0.8 kg | 1 | ₪89 |
| Basket of pitas | 0.3 pcs | 5 pcs | 1 | ₪50 |
About 4.1 kg of food for 20 guests, about 205 g per guest.
Estimated price: ₪547, about ₪27 per guest, VAT included.
The result is a starting point. In the proposal we adjust the trays together, and any meat tray can be swapped for fish or vegetarian.
Send a request with this planA shiva plan, day by day
What comes for the family and what for the visitors. Visitor quantities are for every 20 visitors a day, and can go up or down from day to day.
| When | For the family | For visitors |
|---|---|---|
| The day of the funeral | The first meal on coming home: Yemenite beef soup, home-style meatballs in sauce, salads and pita, about 600 g each. Many families serve a hard-boiled egg at this meal, and the mini sabich has one. | From the evening: a mini pita tray, a meatball tray, a salad tray and a pita basket. |
| Days 2 to 3 | One hot meal a day: a pot of beet kubbeh or couscous with beef, 2.5 kg, about 14 portions of 180 g, with a salad tray. | The busiest days. The same 4 vessels for every 20 visitors, about 4.1 kg. |
| Days 4 to 6 | Rotate the pots so the food does not repeat: a kubbeh day, a couscous day, a meatball day. | Usually fewer visitors. Adjust the order to what was left the day before. |
| When shiva runs over Shabbat | Shabbat food for the family, Friday night and Shabbat lunch. The Shabbat order closes on Wednesday at 20:00; if the shiva began after that, call us and we check. | There are usually no condolence visits on Shabbat, so no visitor trays. |
| The seventh day | Shiva ends in the morning. Some families hold a meal at the end, and the quiet meal suits it. | No trays needed. |
Order in several rounds so the food arrives fresh. Leftovers go into the fridge within two hours and are eaten within two days.
How much food for a shiva, by visitors a day
Each visitor eats about 205 g: a mini pita (75 g), 2 meatballs in sauce (70 g), salads (40 g) and a quarter pita. Prices are for one day, VAT included.
| Visitors a day | What comes | Food in total | Price per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 mini pita tray, 1 meatball tray, 1 salad tray, a pita basket | about 2.1 kg | ₪547 |
| 20 | 1 mini pita tray, 1 meatball tray, 1 salad tray, a pita basket | about 4.1 kg | ₪547 |
| 30 | 2 mini pita trays, 2 meatball trays, 1 salad tray, a pita basket | about 6.2 kg | ₪955 |
| 40 | 2 mini pita trays, 2 meatball trays, 1 salad tray, a pita basket | about 8.2 kg | ₪955 |
| 60 | 3 mini pita trays, 3 meatball trays, 2 salad trays, a pita basket | about 12.3 kg | ₪1,452 |
A tray holds a fixed amount, so 10 and 20 visitors cost the same, and what is left is served the next day. Delivery in Tel Aviv-Yafo is ₪35, free over ₪750. The market range for shiva catering in Israel, October 2026: ₪40 to ₪150 a portion, and most suppliers start at 30 portions.
A hot meal for the family: what to order
The family does not cook during shiva. These dishes come in a pot or a tray and reheat easily.
| What | How much | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The quiet meal: Yemenite beef soup 300 g, meatballs 120 g, salads 100 g, pita | about 600 g a guest, from 10 guests | ₪65 a guest |
| Pot of beet kubbeh | 2.5 kg, about 14 portions of 180 g | ₪259 |
| Pot of couscous with beef and vegetables, broth on the side | 2.5 kg, about 14 portions of 180 g | ₪249 |
| Tray of home-style meatballs in tomato sauce | 40 meatballs of about 35 g | ₪229 |
| House salad tray | 1.5 kg, 4 to 5 salads | ₪89 |
| Pita basket | 20 pitas | ₪50 |
Trays have a minimum of 2 vessels. A pot and a salad tray, for example, feed a family of 10 to 14, for ₪348.
The shiva house: visitors at all hours, nobody at the stove
Trays in the fridge, out in rounds
Put out half a tray of mini pitas and salads at a time. What is out stays out up to two hours, then swap in a tray from the fridge.
Meatballs on a low flame
Heat the meatball tray once and keep it hot on a hot plate or a low flame, above 63°C. Do not reheat the same tray again and again.
A friend or relative
Anyone can send the request for the family: the address of the shiva house, how many in the family, roughly how many visitors, and a good time for delivery.
Quietly, in a two-hour window
Delivery comes in a two-hour window you choose, to one address in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ramat Gan, Givatayim or Bnei Brak. You can also pick up at 99 Ibn Gabirol.
Tableware, drinks and an urn
These do not come with the food. Ask a relative to see to them on the first day, with coffee, tea and fruit.
A memorial meal: price by number of guests
Two ways: a hot meal at the table, or light trays for standing. VAT included, October 2026 prices.
| Guests | The quiet meal, ₪65 a guest | Light trays | Delivery in Tel Aviv-Yafo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ₪1,300 | ₪895, about ₪45 a guest | free |
| 30 | ₪1,950 | ₪1,611, about ₪54 a guest | free |
| 40 | ₪2,600 | ₪1,790, about ₪45 a guest | free |
| 60 | ₪3,900 | ₪2,506, about ₪42 a guest | free |
With the light trays each guest gets about 340 g: 2 mini pitas, 2 meatballs in sauce, 2 schnitzel strips and salads. The market range for a memorial in Israel, October 2026: ready food delivered ₪42 to ₪58 a portion, usually from 30 portions, and about ₪159 with serving staff.
What is eaten at a memorial, and what the family adds
A meal or light food
Some families hold a full meal, with meat, couscous, hot dishes and salads; others keep it light. Both are in the table above.
The blessings
Many families like to have foods of several kinds on the table, so blessings can be said over them in memory of the person who died: pastries, wine or grape juice, fruit, vegetables and drinks. The family buys the fruit, wine and cakes; we bring the meal.
At the cemetery
When you gather at the grave with nowhere to heat food, choose trays that are good at room temperature: mini pitas, schnitzel strips and salads. At home the pots can be reheated.
Shloshim and the yahrzeit
A memorial is usually held at the end of the thirty days and on the anniversary. The date is known ahead, so you can order a few days before and confirm the number of guests the day before.
How to order at short notice
- Call
On these days a phone call is best. We check what we can prepare for that day and when it can arrive.
- Give three numbers
How many in the family, roughly how many visitors a day, and for how many days.
- Order in rounds
First for the first two days, then every day or two, based on what is left. The food stays fresh and nothing is thrown away.
- Change for free
Changes and cancellation are free up to 48 hours before delivery.
- For Shabbat
Shabbat food closes by Wednesday at 20:00 and arrives on Friday between 09:00 and 13:00.
What else moves the price
What the price includes, what costs extra elsewhere and how to reheat each dish are on the small-event catering page. It also covers what drives the price of meat catering, and compares catering, hosting trays and cooking yourself.
Pickup at 99 Ibn Gabirol
What is near the restaurant
- Gan HaIr MallShopping · 390 m
- Yitzhak Rabin MemorialMemorial · 440 m
- Tel Aviv-Yafo City HallCity hall · 460 m
- Rabin SquareSquare · 610 m
- Holocaust MemorialMemorial · 640 m
- Masaryk SquarePark · 880 m
In view now
Frequently asked questions
What food is usually brought to a shiva house?
Simple home food that holds for a few hours and reheats easily: a hot meal for the family, like soup, kubbeh or meatballs in sauce, and finger food and salads for visitors. We plan about 205 g per visitor a day.
How much does a memorial meal cost per guest?
₪65 a guest for a hot meal of soup, meatballs, salads and pita, about 600 g, VAT included, from 10 guests. Light trays come to about ₪42 to ₪54 a guest, depending on numbers. In Israel, delivered memorial food runs ₪42 to ₪58 a portion.
What food should we buy for a shiva?
Whatever the catering does not bring: disposable tableware, drinks, coffee and tea, fruit and some cake. The meals and the visitor trays can be ordered instead of cooked.
Should visitors bring something to a shiva?
It is customary to bring food to the shiva house, a cooked meal for the family or something for visitors. Friends can also order for the family directly from us, with the address and a good time.
What is usually eaten at a memorial?
Some families hold a full meal with meat, hot dishes and salads; others serve light food. Many also put out fruit, wine and pastries so blessings can be said in memory of the person who died.
How much food should we order for a shiva?
For every 20 visitors a day, about 4.1 kg: a mini pita tray, a meatball tray, a salad tray and a pita basket, for ₪547. For the family, one hot meal a day on top, such as a 2.5 kg pot of kubbeh.
Can we order for the same day?
Call us and we check what we can prepare that day. Usually we take orders two to three days ahead.
What happens on the Shabbat during shiva?
Order Shabbat food for the family by Wednesday at 20:00, and it arrives on Friday. If the shiva began after Wednesday, call us and we check.
Hungry now?
For one dish or a few at home: price, extras and availability are in the ordering menu, or by phone.
Send a request
How many guests, when and where. We come back with a price and a proposal.
The dishes that come to the event
Home-style Meatballs
Meatballs in a home-style sauce, served with a warm side of your choice.
Beet Kubbeh
Sweet and sour beet soup with meat-filled kubbeh, served as a warm, generous bowl from the pots.
Couscous
Fluffy couscous with vegetables and the day’s stew from the pot.
Yemenite Beef Soup
A deep, warming Yemenite beef soup with tender meat and rich seasoning.
Israeli Schnitzel
Schnitzel with salads and sauces, in a pita or as a full plate.
The 99 Sabich
Aubergine, egg, potato, salad, tahini, amba and hot sauce, in a pita or on a plate.